Saved by RB

Woke up on wrong side of the tent. Lost a contact lens (later found) and in my worried search I disobeyed my urge to poop. I didn’t get out in time, got a little in my nice Pategonia pants, and then managed to then pee on the pants while squatting no more than ten feet from the tent. I didn’t start the day well.

We had some easy miles, washed some clothes in a cow pond, and then hit some tough climbs. It got hot early and we were moving slow.

Our last spot for water for the next thirty miles was a house in the middle of no where. When we read about it we simply wondered what this meant. Around noon we figured it out as we peered down into a canyon after a tough climb and indeed saw a house in the middle of the wilderness. I left my stuff and Julie, and made the descent. We both should have gone.

When I met RB he immediately invited us in for lunch. So I ran another ten minutes back up the mountain and brought Julie back down. We visited for over two hours and learned all about how RB has basically left society and lives alone in the wilderness on his 80 acre property surrounded by national forest. He has gone months without seeing any humans and knows the local elk, deer, bear, and mountain lions. He is a really friendly and hospitable person and he seems genuinely happy with his unique life. We were glad we slowed down a bit and got to know such a unique person. Plus, we got 11 liters of good cold well water we didn’t have to purify!